France / 1900 / Black& White and Colored / French
Subtitles: Turkish
First exhibited in 1900 World Exposition in Paris, Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre is an exceptional show composed of colour moving images and synchronised sound. The show includes over thirty films, which are scenes from some of the most popular theatre, opera, or operette works of the period with famous actors and actresses of the time. One of the many experiments at the first decades of cinema to enrich the moving images with synchronised sound, Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre was recorded in a special studio equipped for the synchronous recording of sound and image. However, the images recorded on 35mm nitrate film did not run synchronously with sound; the projectionist and phonograph operator had to work in perfect harmony to ensure synchronicity. These films from 1900 will change your understanding of the evolution of cinema as an image and sound based medium.
Over thirty films that are brought together with the collaboration of Cinémathèque Française and Gaumont Pathé archive compose almost the entire series of Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre. Restored in Lobster film laboratory, Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre films open a new window onto the turn-of-the-century entertainment culture.
Director: Clément Maurice
Cast: Sarah Bernhardt, Jeanne Hatto, Jean Coquelin
Music by John Sweeney (Piano) & Günter Buchwald (Violin, flut) & Frank Bockius (Percussion)
Presentation by Emily Cauquy (Cinémathèque Française)